Documenting the long term effect of wet-slipping in salt water

[Damsroy]

So it is time for this year update....
this year is the third season wet slipping in salt water.
Boat still looks like new and runs like a charm..however this year there was a little more work and money to bring the boat to top notch condition.
Besides the typical oil change, bearing greasing and new spark plugs i had to do the following:
- replace the jet pump reverse control cables. The thread at the end that connects to the spring clips was totally corroded. i also added the new wire that is connecting the anodes to the end of the control cables
- replace the rudder assembly. my steering was really stiff and reading all the threads here I purchased a new steering cable assembly. After further investingwtions the steering cables are totally fine. The rudder was totally seized. New rudder and $350 later and everything is back to being as smooth as butter. I have a brand new steering cable assembly seating in my garage for When it is time for replacement. End of this seaon? Who knows?
- removed the pumps, check the cones, sanded the pumps, etching primer and Trilux paint on the pumps. This is annual maintenance for me at this stage
- sanded bottom paint and added a new coat of bottomkote.
- treated entire hull with Rejects, all interior with 303 fabric guard And Bimini and mooring cover with 303.

This is it! Not looks and run great! 156h on each engine at beginning of the season And ready for some fun!!!

Bottom line:
- people telling you that wet slipping in salt water won't do anything to your boat are lying...There is additional care and cost associated with wet slipping in salt water.
- people telling you that those boats are not designed to be slipped in salt water have no idea what they are taking about.

There is clearly additional care and maintenance when you slip in salt water but it all worth it and boat still looks and runs great!

 

[Quad]

So it is time for this year update....
this year is the third season wet slipping in salt water.
Boat still looks like new and runs like a charm..however this year there was a little more work and money to bring the boat to top notch condition.
Besides the typical oil change, bearing greasing and new spark plugs i had to do the following:
- replace the jet pump reverse control cables. The thread at the end that connects to the spring clips was totally corroded. i also added the new wire that is connecting the anodes to the end of the control cables
- replace the rudder assembly. my steering was really stiff and reading all the threads here I purchased a new steering cable assembly. After further investingwtions the steering cables are totally fine. The rudder was totally seized. New rudder and $350 later and everything is back to being as smooth as butter. I have a brand new steering cable assembly seating in my garage for When it is time for replacement. End of this seaon? Who knows?
- removed the pumps, check the cones, sanded the pumps, etching primer and Trilux paint on the pumps. This is annual maintenance for me at this stage
- sanded bottom paint and added a new coat of bottomkote.
- treated entire hull with Rejects, all interior with 303 fabric guard And Bimini and mooring cover with 303.

This is it! Not looks and run great! 156h on each engine at beginning of the season And ready for some fun!!!

Bottom line:
- people telling you that wet slipping in salt water won't do anything to your boat are lying...There is additional care and cost associated with wet slipping in salt water.
- people telling you that those boats are not designed to be slipped in salt water have no idea what they are taking about.

There is clearly additional care and maintenance when you slip in salt water but it all worth it and boat still looks and runs great!

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Where do you have your tow valves installed?

 

[Damsroy]

Under the clean out tray. Seemed to be the most convenient place to install them. Don’t want to be around hot engines after a long day on the water trying to flush the engines. Works for me. Got the valves from Island Racing.

 

[bigsapper]

I need to catch up on this. Thanks for posting your experience.

 

[Manny252]

So my 2016 AR240 has been wet splipping in Long Island Sound for the entire summer.
I will document year after year the effects of salt water on the boat and the maintenance needed (steering cables, pump housing, etc) along the way.
Boat was purchased before the start of the season in 2019 with 86 hours of fresh water use. Always trailered and stored inside during winter months. Boat has now 135 hours. No issue whatsoever to report this year.
Engines are flushed with Salt Away (I installed TOW valves) after each outing and boat is rinsed the same way. Boat is always covered with deluxe mooring cover.

You can look at the jet pumps below as well as the rudder. Not as pristine (....) as if used in fresh water but not too bad imo.
Boat hull, interior and hardware still look like new.
I don't like bottom paint and you can see the waterline but not having bottom paint was not an option.
Zinc anodes were pretty much 25/30% eaten and had to be replaced after a year.
Engine compartment is still pristine.
I know I might have to replace steering and reverse cables after two or three seasons but so far no issue.

All in all a great season and looking forward to next year!

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HI , WHERE ON LONG ISLAND ? IM IN SETAUKET HARBOR FOR THE SUMMERS ? MANNY

 

[Manny252]

Under the clean out tray. Seemed to be the most convenient place to install them. Don’t want to be around hot engines after a long day on the water trying to flush the engines. Works for me. Got the valves from Island Racing.

CAN YOU SEND PIC'S AND INFO OF THE TOW VALVES, I NEED THEM , THX , MANNY EAST SETAUKET

 

[Cambo]

So the trade off is wear and tear on the boat or wear and tear on the trailer. Do your trailer brakes still work mine is a 2017 and the brakes are shot connectors for the lights needed to be replaced they dissolved, the leaf spring pivots are frozen and need to be replaced, boat buckles are on their last legs

 

[JPicinich]

Hey guys just purchased a ar250 i keep hearing how NOT to do this. I'm glad I did some research and found this forum. I know this is a few years old but everyone still wet docking their boats? I was extremely concerned with this as I really want the jet boat but also want to keep it at the marina. I will be in peconic bay suffolk county.

 

[I_squared_r]

Hey guys just purchased a ar250 i keep hearing how NOT to do this. I'm glad I did some research and found this forum. I know this is a few years old but everyone still wet docking their boats? I was extremely concerned with this as I really want the jet boat but also want to keep it at the marina. I will be in peconic bay suffolk county.

It can be done with proper precautions and more maintenance. If I had a new boat, and really wanted to keep it at a marina, I would look for a lift. 2 major advantages, 1. less wear and tear on the boat, less maintenance and 2. the value of the boat won't drop so much.

A few years ago I bought a 2019 242 that was wet slipped in salt water. Guy didn't do much maintenance and I went through the boat and made it like new again. The anodes were original, almost non-existant, and at the point of crisis for the engines. I got a good deal on it and after 1 year I ended up selling it for what I paid. But, jet boaters freak out when they see wet slipped salt water boats. The boat I bought was great, but people would call the dealer it was at and say "wet slipped in salt water? no thanks". I ended up having to sell it at a crazy bargain, but didn't mind because I paid a good price. So many people turned away from a good boat when they called me. Finally a guy bought it and I never heard from him again. I'm sure he's still enjoying it.

Anyways, what I want to say is, if you invest in a good lift, the savings in depreciation will probably pay for that lift, and you'll have a lot less headache.

 

[I_squared_r]

If you decide to wet slip it, paint the botttom and paint the exterior of the pumps. I would find a way to get a anode on the articulating keel because they lock up. I was able to free it with a torch and kept going. I thought of a solution to buy small round anodes and drill the articulating keel and bolting them on. Also I would put tow valves and flush the motor after every use. Also buy extra steering cables and swap them out once they get stiff to steer. The cable ends are also good to have extras because they tend to break when sitting in salt water. They crumble. Take note, there's extra work on wet slipping. It's better a lift if you can swing it.

 

[Damsroy]

Everything that @I_squared_r said above makes sense.

I still have my boat and it will be wet slipped again this year for the 7th consecutive year. No lift for me as it was not an option at my local public marina.

The boat is still going strong and is in super good shape. Very clean in and out. I will post pictures in the next few days.

Just be aware that wet slipping requires extra work after each outing and extra work after the season.

Before wet slipping:
- bottom paint
- flush/tow valves installation
- add anodes to intake grates and to the throttles cables forward/reverse cable assembly if not already present at the factory
- Rejex treatment on the hull above the water line

After each outing:
- flush the engines using the tow valves that you will have to install on each engine/cooling lines. Easy to do. Install take a couple of hours and flushing each time takes about ten minutes.
- rinse the boat thoroughly with the same product used for flushing the engine ("e.g. Saltaway)

Annual maintenance:
- power wash and touch up bottom pain, especially at the water line.
- I take the jet pumps out every single year at the end of the season and put them in my garage. I disassemble them, clean them up, sand them lightly and apply a phosphate primer (for aluminum applications) and Trilux antifouling paint (for aluminum applications). As a side note my jet pumps are still in super good conditions. There is no corrosion at all on the jet pumps. Anodes are doing their job.
- replace all the anodes. After a couple of years i had to replace the throttles cables forward/reverse cables because the end of them (the threaded portion) became corroded. After adding a cable -like on later models- from the assembly on the reverse gate to the pump anodes the problem disappeared. No problem ever since (4/5 years). See pictures on the post above. You can see the cable I'm referring to.
- protect/reapply the hull with Rejex. I've had good experience with Rejex. The hull is still super super shiny at the end of each season. Looks like a combination of rinsing after each outing and Rejex once a year keep the hull super clean with no water mark.

Every few years / as needed
- Replace articulated keel. Mine locked up a couple of years ago. Had to replace the entire assembly. Been fine since.
- Replace intake grates. I just had to replace my intake grates this year. They came out pretty easily. After 6 years of wet slipping they became corroded. I added anodes to them last year, i guess it was too late. Damage was done already. This time I added the anodes to them from day 1.
- I never had to replace the steering cables. After a lot if issues with steering cables reported on this forum i bought the entire steering cables assembly for like $400, as a precaution, thinking that I would need to replace it at some point. Well this day has not came yet. The new assembly is still in my garage and my steering -with original cables- is still super smooth.
- I had to replace the stereo head unit that is located on the transom/swim platform a few years ago. The buttons became corroded and couldn't be turned anymore. I don't think it is specific to being in salt water. Lots of us had to do it throughout the years. I keep mine protected under a silicon cover now and so far it still working as intended.
- on top of the above, and I won't list all the regular/standard maintenance, but between other things i check the grease in the cones, i check the condition of the cooling water intake screen, etc as documented in the service manual.


All in all and if you take the right precautions this is very doable and your boat will stay in tip top shape.

And for me you can't beat the convenience of not having to trailer the boat back and forth all the time. But it is just me.

Good luck and happy boating.

Damien

 

[JPicinich]

Awesome Information. Thanks so much for this. This makes me feel better and great advice I will be sure to follow these steps. I pick her up in a week or so, so I'll start getting things ordered. Have a great summer

 

[I_squared_r]

Everything that @I_squared_r said above makes sense.

I still have my boat and it will be wet slipped again this year for the 7th consecutive year. No lift for me as it was not an option at my local public marina.

The boat is still going strong and is in super good shape. Very clean in and out. I will post pictures in the next few days.

Just be aware that wet slipping requires extra work after each outing and extra work after the season.

Before wet slipping:
- bottom paint
- flush/tow valves installation
- add anodes to intake grates and to the throttles cables forward/reverse cable assembly if not already present at the factory
- Rejex treatment on the hull above the water line

After each outing:
- flush the engines using the tow valves that you will have to install on each engine/cooling lines. Easy to do. Install take a couple of hours and flushing each time takes about ten minutes.
- rinse the boat thoroughly with the same product used for flushing the engine ("e.g. Saltaway)

Annual maintenance:
- power wash and touch up bottom pain, especially at the water line.
- I take the jet pumps out every single year at the end of the season and put them in my garage. I disassemble them, clean them up, sand them lightly and apply a phosphate primer (for aluminum applications) and Trilux antifouling paint (for aluminum applications). As a side note my jet pumps are still in super good conditions. There is no corrosion at all on the jet pumps. Anodes are doing their job.
- replace all the anodes. After a couple of years i had to replace the throttles cables forward/reverse cables because the end of them (the threaded portion) became corroded. After adding a cable -like on later models- from the assembly on the reverse gate to the pump anodes the problem disappeared. No problem ever since (4/5 years). See pictures on the post above. You can see the cable I'm referring to.
- protect/reapply the hull with Rejex. I've had good experience with Rejex. The hull is still super super shiny at the end of each season. Looks like a combination of rinsing after each outing and Rejex once a year keep the hull super clean with no water mark.

Every few years / as needed
- Replace articulated keel. Mine locked up a couple of years ago. Had to replace the entire assembly. Been fine since.
- Replace intake grates. I just had to replace my intake grates this year. They came out pretty easily. After 6 years of wet slipping they became corroded. I added anodes to them last year, i guess it was too late. Damage was done already. This time I added the anodes to them from day 1.
- I never had to replace the steering cables. After a lot if issues with steering cables reported on this forum i bought the entire steering cables assembly for like $400, as a precaution, thinking that I would need to replace it at some point. Well this day has not came yet. The new assembly is still in my garage and my steering -with original cables- is still super smooth.
- I had to replace the stereo head unit that is located on the transom/swim platform a few years ago. The buttons became corroded and couldn't be turned anymore. I don't think it is specific to being in salt water. Lots of us had to do it throughout the years. I keep mine protected under a silicon cover now and so far it still working as intended.
- on top of the above, and I won't list all the regular/standard maintenance, but between other things i check the grease in the cones, i check the condition of the cooling water intake screen, etc as documented in the service manual.


All in all and if you take the right precautions this is very doable and your boat will stay in tip top shape.

And for me you can't beat the convenience of not having to trailer the boat back and forth all the time. But it is just me.

Good luck and happy boating.

Damien

Are you getting growth on the pumps and intake tunnel? When I picked up my boat there was a ton of "worms" that I had to use acid to remove them. I suspect the previous owner didn't do annual maintenance and I was stuck with 3-4 years of growth to deal with. It wasn't fun to clean.

Btw, I think I bought the wakesurf stuff from you and we went mountain biking. Up in connecticut, right?

 

[Damsroy]

Are you getting growth on the pumps and intake tunnel? When I picked up my boat there was a ton of "worms" that I had to use acid to remove them. I suspect the previous owner didn't do annual maintenance and I was stuck with 3-4 years of growth to deal with. It wasn't fun to clean.

Btw, I think I bought the wakesurf stuff from you and we went mountain biking. Up in connecticut, right?

Sounds more like a lack of use. If the boat seats in water for several weeks without moving you will get growth. If you use it every weekend or so you won’t get much. Water will clean up that mess at speed, especially in the intake tunnels.

Yep that was me. That MTB ride at Rockhouse was fun!

 

[I_squared_r]

Sounds more like a lack of use. If the boat seats in water for several weeks without moving you will get growth. If you use every weekend or so you won’t get much. Water will clean up that mess at speed, especially in the intake tunnels.

Yep that was me. That MTB ride at Rockhouse was fun!

Makes sense. The guy had a residence in greenwich and a house in the hamptons so he definitely didn't use it a lot.

You guys ride fast and got more stamina than me lol that was a good ride. I took the boat and wakesurf stuff to Florida, but didn't like Florida so I sold all my stuff and moved permanently to Colombia. I got a Ford Mustang here and been doing adventure riding on a Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 that I bought a few weeks ago.